The kindergarten would only end at 12:00 pm. So Summer stood in the shade of a tree outside and waited, glancing down at the time from time to time. The gate of the kindergarten opened at 12:00 pm sharp, and a crisp, soft, cheerful voice came from a distance. “Mommy!” Immediately afterwards, a little white, cheerful figure plunged into Summer’s arms, hugged her neck with a pair of puppy dog eyes, and gave Summer a generous peck on her cheek. She held the little person in her arms with a smile, as her voice melted her heart. “Charlotte, say goodbye to your teacher.” Charlotte waved her small hand as told, her voice loud and clear as she said, “Goodbye, Ms.” Hand in hand, the mother and daughter headed off. Charlotte was cheerful and naughty. She blinked and asked, “Mommy, where are we going now?” “Going to grandma’s place.” While speaking, Summer glanced at the time again. The train would only depart at 3:00 pm. So she still had time to take Charlotte for lunch. “What would
A middle-aged woman sitting next to them looked at Summer with a smile. “Your daughter?” “Yeah, she is a bit naughty.” Summer handed a few oranges in the bag to the middle-aged woman. “She looks well-behaved. And she is beautiful and adorable. That is how children are. They like to ask questions, and it is quite fun.” With her child tagging along, Summer had no plans to sleep on the train. So she chatted with the middle-aged woman while taking care of her child. It was a four-hour journey by high-speed train from Nokocola Bay to Santabaca. By the time they arrived in Santabaca, it was 7:00 pm. But the day was long in summer. The sky was still bright even if it was 7:00 pm. She flagged down a taxi and brought Charlotte into the backseat. Knowing that Summer and her granddaughter were coming back, Daisy asked Solomon to accompany her to buy more vegetables and fruits from the supermarket. Daisy and Solomon had been expecting them in the living room by the time Summer and Ch
“Uncle Forrest,” Charlotte nestled in Solomon’s arms and swiped her little finger over her cheek, “when you have no money, Daniel will not be able to eat cookies and drink yogurt, and he will not grow up.” Solomon guffawed. “Look, even our little Charlotte knows her uncle cannot support Daniel.” There was an I-can’t-even look on Forrest’s face. “You have learned how to dig at me since we last met, eh?” ‘Besides, my son will still grow up without cookies and yogurt.’ He did not say this out loud. “I don’t care if you find a job or not, but you should not ask for a penny from Dad and Mom. Don’t you feel ashamed of yourself for asking money from Dad and Mom when you are already in your thirties?” Summer said with a dead serious expression. Forrest knew Summer’s temperament well. “I am not as useless as you think. I have already sent out my resume, and will go for an interview tomorrow.” “What company is that?” “A new but very large corporation in Santabaca. It gives fantasti
“Mom, I know what I am doing. It is getting late now, go take a rest, so I can coax Charlotte to sleep, too.” She shifted the topic while pushing Daisy out of the room door.As frustrated as she was, Daisy could do nothing about it. She let out a sigh and left.The air conditioner was on, but Charlotte was still sweating on her forehead. Summer washed Charlotte’s face and feet, and then coaxed her to sleep. After that, she sat in front of the window, staring into the dark night in a daze.…The next morningAfter breakfast, Forrest went for the interview, while Solomon, Daisy, Summer, and Amara took the two children to the park.The company was in the most prosperous commercial street in Santabaca. It was a sixty-story tall building, with huge panes of glass reflecting the dazzling sunlight.Stepping into the company lobby, Forrest was intimidated when he saw the number of people coming for the interview. He had expected a long queue, but never of this magnitude.The lobby was c
The interviewers exchanged a look with each other. Just when they were about to ask questions, a voice came as the company president, who had been quietly sitting there, rose to his feet. He paced forward, leaning on the table lazily and asked Forrest, “So Summer is your younger sister?” Forrest was startled, not knowing what happened. It was not for a while when he snapped back. “Summer?” ‘Why does the company president ask about Summer? This is really weird.’ The curvature of the man’s lips heightened as he spoke. “Ask her to come see me, and then you will get this job. Do you understand?” Forrest swallowed, still in confusion, not knowing what was going on. “You and my sister know each other?” The man rubbed his chin with his neat fingers, with a deep look in his charming eyes. “Well, we do know each other.” Forrest emerged from the company building, feeling as if he was walking on clouds—it felt so unreal. There was no need for an interview, or questions and answers
Coaxing a child was easy. When Charlotte heard about ice cream, she smacked her little pink lips and licked them greedily with her tongue. Even her eyes sparkled. She stretched out three little fingers and said, “Grandma, can I have chocolate-flavored ice cream, and eat three of them.” “Okay, three chocolate-flavored ice creams for Charlotte.” Daisy smiled as she carried Charlotte to the refrigerator and asked her to choose her ice cream. Taking this opportunity, Summer and Amara sneaked out of the house. The two of them took a taxi to said company. Stepping into the lobby, Summer went directly to the reception to inquire, while Amara was looking at the majestic and beautiful decoration. The lady at the reception asked them to wait for a while, while she called the secretary’s office. A reply came after a while, asking Summer to take the elevator directly to the company president’s office on the 50th floor. Summer thanked the lady at the reception and then entered the eleva
Without waiting for Summer to respond, Amara turned around and closed the office door behind her thoughtfully. There were only two of them in the office. The smile in Jazz’s charming eyes remained right from the beginning. “Give me five minutes.” His voice was as gentle as the breeze. “Okay.” Summer nodded with a smile. “Go ahead, I will drink a glass of water.” Sitting down on the leather chair, Jazz’s hand moved at lightning speed as he signed some documents, as if he was in a hurry. While drinking water, Summer’s gaze occasionally swept over him. It was difficult for her to associate him with Jazz, who never passed exams four years ago. Jazz signed a thick stack of documents within five minutes and threw the pen on the table. “Let’s go. You should treat me to lunch.” “That’s for sure. Are you okay with any type of lunch?” Jazz nodded, staring at her beautiful face with a hint of greediness. The rest was not important as long as he could have lunch with her. The two t
Jazz’s eyes fell on her, quietly staring at her for a long while, before he opened his mouth in a serious tone of voice. “From now on, I will not address you as my teacher, and will not treat you as my sister-in-law, but will openly call you by name.” The way he spoke was of the hegemony and insistence of men. Four years ago, she was his teacher, and he rarely had the chance to call her by her name except in private. But at this time, he could openly call her name in front of everyone. Summer’s hand which was holding the glass froze in the air. The next second, Jazz’s warm and dry hand cupped the back of her hand. Stunned, Summer’s hand jerked and water spilled onto the table. As if there was an electric current running up her hand, she quickly retracted her hand, looked Jazz in the eyes and said slowly, “Jazz, you should understand that some things are never possible.” His tall body froze then, but it was just for a second. Jazz regained his usual composure, as if nothin